Kettlebell

[Derek Maffett]

I am in the market for a kettlebell now and I have found two possibilities.

Perform Better has a 24kg First Place Kettlebell for about fifty dollars and a powermax kettlebell can be gotten for about 83. Dragondoor is pretty much just too expensive to be an option.

Of course, the cheaper kettlebell sounds like the deal by price, but I don't want a badly made kettlebell. What merits might a Powermax hold over a First Place?

I want to be able to do everything with this kettlebell - snatches, TGU's, etc... and don't want to be limited by quality.

[John Harshman]

I have both a powermax and perform better 70#kb and prefer the perfor better cause the handle is tid bit smaller and less gritty. I have since bought all my KB's through PB and and happy with all of them,...not to mention they are cheaper and don't kill you will shipping.

John

[Timothy Kasek]

I have mostly DD kettlebells. I purchased all of them through e-bay for a significantly lower price. They also have great customer service, I wasn't happy with the finish on one of my 32kg's and they sent me another one without hesitation and apologized profusely.

I

[Arden Cogar Jr.]

muscledriver is having a bell blowout sale right now. The handles are a little bigger than DD and K2, but they are the proper size.

All the best,
Arden

[Ron Wilhelm]

Originally Posted by Timothy Kasek

I have mostly DD kettlebells. I purchased all of them through e-bay for a significantly lower price.

I picked up all my DD KBs on eBay. The shipping rates were last years shipping rates, so I saved a few buck there and there was also hardly any competition in bidding, especially on the pairs. I think casual eBayers are put off by the shipping price, which is UPS so it is high, but you'll pay a high shipping cost for something that heavy. They ended up being quite a bit cheaper than I could have gotten with their affiliate discount, or even what an RKC would have paid.


Dragon Door Kettlebell (since the search engine won't find DD or KB)

[Derek Maffett]

Thanks, everyone. I just ordered the 24 kg. from performbetter. Price even with shipping was $64.45. Sweet.

[Garrett Benson]

I ordered a KB from performbetter.com last Sunday. I got it from the UPS man on Wednesday! (However it was shipped from RI and I live in VA) I like the bell a lot. the handle is a little thinner than the ones I use when I workout with my group, but for the price, and convenience of having one at home, it is an awesome deal. I will definately order from them again!

Garrett

[Michael A. Krivka]

I just wanted to jump in on this thread and add my experiences as well with purchasing KB's. I've been using them for about 7 years now and have had the good (and bad) fortune of using pretty much every KB that's out there as well as some homemade versions.

KETTLEBELL SOURCES
As far as reccommending one KB over another I have three manufacturers that I would use myself or reccommend to any of my students or clients. DragonDoor is at the top of the list, but is the most expensive; politics aside this is the best all-around KB on the market. You can get them from eBay for a good price - buy them in pairs for a really good deal. K2 Fitness makes another great KB and their prices are better than DragonDoor; also, their shipping is cheaper and their customer service is great. Lifeline USA just got into the KB business as well and they have a good product as well. I've played with a couple of these and they were a good fit.

ALL KB'S ARE NOT CREATED EQUAL
Most peoples first inclination is to purchase the cheapest KB they can find, thinking that there is no difference between them - and hey, they're saving a few bucks! Well, if you buy a Yugo, you're going to be driving a Yugo and you shouldn't expect a lot from it performance-wise. The same thing holds true in regards to KB's. There are a lot of really cheap KB's out there but you're going to be paying a pretty hefty price in the long run for going the cheap route (i.e. losing skin, bruised bones, etc.).

The long and short is that there are a number of variables that set a well made and designed KB apart from it's cheaper cousins. Following is a list of factors that contribute to the "usability" of a KB (in no particular order):

1. Handle diameter
2. Handle shape
3. Handle texture/finish
4. Handle length
5. Distance between handle and bell
6. Bell configuration

NOTE: there are a couple more, but I wanted to give you some idea of what you need to take into consideration before you throw your money down for a KB. I'm working on an article that I'll be posting very soon that illustrates all these points and gives you a checklist for purchasing a KB.

Think about it now or you'll have an expensive door stop later!

Hope this helps!

[Jay Cohen]

Michael;
Great post, thanks.
7 years exp with KB's, cool.

[Randy Tarasevich]

I live 25 min. from Perform Better and could easily pick them up at the warehouse, but are they worth even spending any $ at all on? Would DD be the way to go even if you had to wait to find a good deal?